Lunch Break
by Spanky743
Summary: Post 10x01 Wedges. The lab rats recover from a night of excitement.


**Title:** Lunch Break  
**Author:** Spanky743  
**Rating: **K  
**Pairing:** Wedges!  
**Spoilers:** Anything that's aired.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI and blah blah blah.

---

_"Dude! Did you s-"_

_"Holy crap!"_

_"No, wait, rewind that! I've gotta see that again."_

Thanks to the glass walls of the crime lab and the lack of doors, Wendy could hear every word of their commentary.

Henry had probably seen far more action that he had ever experienced in his life and was desperate for that kick of adrenaline to return; perhaps the replay was helping to fire the proper neurons. A gunfight is indeed far more exciting than a game of shuffleboard, championship-winning or not.

Wendy knew without a doubt why Mandy was there. Mandy knew her way around a search engine and could find whatever blogs and profiles a victim or suspect owned in record time. She enjoyed spreading gossip, but not nearly as much as she enjoyed digging it up. After what happened the previous shift, it was no surprise to find Mandy in front of the screen, figuring out exactly where each person was located and what they were doing.

And Archie? Archie was simply enjoying having the power to control time. As usual.

Wendy was amazed at how quickly the day and swing shifts had been able to collect evidence, and at how well the janitorial staff cleaned up. But then again, it had been so long since her own shift had been fully staffed, she had probably forgotten what efficiency looked like.

_Concentrate, Wendy._

She mentally shook herself and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Which, currently, was checking to see if all of her vials and samples were present and accounted for and making a list of the items that were not. With such a backlog of cases - and visions of the night before still clouding her thoughts - it was proving to be quite difficult to remember everything she had been doing. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something, anything, to clear her mind.

"Knock, knock?"

She didn't need open eyes to know who was standing in her doorway; she could recognize his voice in a crowded room. How many times had it calmed her and made her laugh when she was having a stressful day? Pushing aside the fact that the same voice was also the source of countless other stressful days, she smiled and looked at him.

"Hey Hodges," she sighed more than she spoke her greeting, "what's up?"

"It's time for your lunch break."

"I can't..." She was still trying to find the right words to continue when he interrupted.

"Wendy, you've been staring at your table top for the last fifteen minutes, trying not to eavesdrop on Archie's lab. You need to get out of here, and you need to take your full hour."

He spoke his final sentence gently, but with such authority that she had no choice but to follow. They walked down the hall of the lab, Hodges in the lead. When he passed the entrance of the break room, Wendy spoke up.

"Where are you going? My lunch is in the break room fridge, and I saw yours there, too."

"And they'll still be there tomorrow," he replied with a small grin.

Not one to argue with such solid logic, she followed him to his car. Hodges stole a quick glance around the parking lot to ensure there would be no witnesses. Seeing none, he led Wendy to his passenger side door, proffered his hand, and assisted her into the seat. After closing the door, he walked around to the other side and sat down.

"You know, you don't have to do that every time, David. I'm perfectly capable of opening my own doors."

Hodges smiled, "What if I like doing things for you?"

"Then I won't deny you the pleasure," she replied, trying to hide the way her heart melted with his words.

Part of her wished their relationship was out in the open, just so that Hodges would be forced to be this kind around everybody in the lab. But she knew they could not do that yet. Going public would require one of them to leave their friends on grave shift, and they just weren't ready to have that conversation yet; they still had trouble deciding which one of them would pick out a movie to rent.

She sometimes wondered if he was getting a kick out of the secrecy, if it made him feel like his hero to hide a relationship from others in the lab. If that were the case, she had to admit that it wouldn't bother her; she kind of liked the secrecy as well. There was something to be said for figuring out how to be a couple and adjusting to one another without being in the public eye, and she could easily see how Grissom and Sara got used to having a private relationship and never got around to telling others.

Hodges pulled out of the lab's parking lot and into one outside of a small sandwich shop nearby. He went inside to order their usuals to go - grilled chicken on honey oat bread for her, meatball on white bread for him - and continued on to a park where they sat at an empty picnic table.

For several minutes, the only sounds were of rustling paper, laughing children, and the creaking of playground equipment. _I guess I really was hungry,_ Wendy thought.

"See, I told you it was time for your break."

"You're right. I did need to get out of there. I'm not sure how much more of Archie's replay I could have taken."

"I have to confess; I needed it, too. I think they were about two minutes away from getting to you and me and I really didn't want to be the source of their amusement for the day. There's nothing funny about you getting hurt."

"David, we've been over this. I'm _fine_. You didn't hurt me. Do you want to check me for bruising again?"

His head snapped up to meet her eyes and they shared a moment of reminiscence. They each recalled the passion that had stemmed from David's concern after the shootout and, specifically, his tackle to protect her. He had seen, touched and kissed more of her skin than he ever had before, and though their relationship still had yet to be consummated, they both knew that it was coming sometime soon. Sometime very soon.

Wendy cleared her throat in an attempt to break the spell that had come over them and to gain some control over herself. They tore their eyes away from one another and instead observed the toddlers and their mothers on playdates.

"I was so scared," Hodges said, breaking the silence that had come over them, "At first I was curious, like you. But when I saw those guys, and the guns, and I realized your head was in the hallway - I was terrified, Wendy. If, if I'd lost you..."

He couldn't finish his thought. Wendy reached across the picnic table and took his hands in hers.

"You didn't lose me. You protected me. You're my hero."

"Wendy, I know we haven't been seeing each other for very long, and I know I've been a jerk to you in the past. I still have so much to make up for, and I'm trying not to screw things up by moving too fast. But...but I care for you. A lot."

She smiled. Wendy had always felt something for Hodges, but for years whenever he would do something endearing he would immediately follow it by saying or doing something incredibly frustrating. It had been quite the emotional ride, but nothing could compare to the Hodges she was with now; one that expressed his emotions and never failed to compliment her beauty and intellect. He really was trying, and she understood what he was attempting to communicate to her without saying the words. Wendy knew it wasn't the right time, as certainly as she knew that she felt the same way.

So she replied with _I know_, hoping he understood what she was trying to say. From the look on his face, it seemed he was having some sort of fantasy involving her being dipped in carbonite. Mission accomplished.

She got up to throw away their trash. Returning to him, she expressed her gratitude for the impromptu date.

"Thank you, David. For taking me to lunch."

"You're very welcome, Mindy."

"Hey, you're not allowed to call me that yet. You'll have to do a lot more grovelling."

They made their way back to his car.

"Oh, come on. You were flattered. Admit it, Bimms."

"Shut up, Hodgkins."

THE END


End file.
